Trying to keep my electrical power consumption in check these days isn't difficult with so many nice energy-efficient devices available on the market. The previous kit of devices before they were all incinerated in the fire were guzzlers compared to what I'm using now. So in that respect, their destruction has led to improvements realized years before planned.
Social power struggles aren't so easily managed, though. The fire is forcing me into human-on-human engagement I would prefer to never have to tolerate, specifically: negotiations with FEMA staff to receive compensations for all of the material things the U.S. government destroyed before their useful lifespans had expired. I prefer to never have to sit face-to-face with any of them and will strive to do so, if for no other reason than avoidance of bias they will inevitably, unavoidably bring into the process. Being an older person of not so dazzling physical appearance, I expect FEMA personnel to presume a lot about me upon first sight only to discover later that all of their prejudgments were in error and that they severely underestimated my capabilities. To do us all a favor, I'll be angling hard to prevent such crap.
